Shumlin Appoints Chief Lawyer To Supreme Court

Beth Robinson, who argued the state's civil union case, has been appointed to the state Supreme Court.

(Host)
Governor Peter Shumlin has appointed his chief lawyer to the state Supreme
Court.

Shumlin
picked Beth Robinson to fill the high court vacancy. Robinson is perhaps best
known as an advocate for marriage rights for same-sex couples.

VPR's
John Dillon reports:

(Dillon)
Governor Shumlin said he made his first Supreme Court choice with great care,
knowing that the appointment will likely out-last his administration.

(Shumlin) "The great thing about this
opportunity is that there is no one I know in Vermont who is more
able to carry out justice for Vermonters, to be fair and clear and promote the
greatness of this state, than Beth Robinson."

(Dillon)
Robinson has worked as the governor's legal counsel for the past 10 months. Before
that she was an attorney in private practice and a leader in the effort to win
marriage rights for same-sex Vermonters. In 1997, she was co-counsel in a state
Supreme Court case that led to Vermont's civil union law. In 2009, she led a campaign to
convince the legislature to pass same-sex marriage.

Robinson
said she will bring a pragmatic approach to the Supreme Court.

(Robinson) "I think there's a huge
difference between my role as an advocate and my role as a judge. And my role
as a judge really is first and foremost to uphold the rule of law - which is
kind of this concept, it's an abstraction - but to do it in a way that
recognizes the practical effects on real people's lives."

(Dillon)
Although best known as an activist on same-sex marriage, Robinson said she also
spent 18 years representing Vermonters in a diverse practice that included family
law, employment law and personal injury cases.

Robinson
does not have experience as a trial judge. But Cheryl Hanna, a professor at Vermont Law School, says Robinson's wide-ranging legal practice should
serve her well on the bench.

(Hanna) "What most people don't know
about Beth Robinson is that she was at one of the most prestigious firms in the
state, Langrock, Sperry and Wool, and that she had a reputation for being among
the best lawyers in the state simply as an outstanding legal advocate on a
variety of cases."

(Dillon)
Robinson can begin serving immediately, but the state Senate needs to confirm her
appointment when the Legislature returns this winter. Franklin Senator Randy
Brock, a leading Senate Republican, said he's keeping an open mind on the
nomination. He noted that Robinson has extensive experience as a lawyer in
Vermont.

(Brock) "I would expect that folks would
explore the depth of that experience and whether or not it is sufficiently
broad to be effective on the bench. My sense is that people will give the
governor a wide berth and a degree of discretion in terms of choosing his
appointee."

(Dillon)
Robinson said she was first drawn to a career in law because of a book she read
as a child.

(Robinson) "I mean this is going to
sound really corny. But anybody who has ever read ‘To Kill a Mockingbird' and
has gotten to know Atticus Finch, I think, can understand what will inspire
anyone to go into law. And that to me, I think, was the kicker."

(Dillon)
Harper Lee's story of a small town, southern lawyer focused on civil rights and
equal justice - the same themes that have echoed in Robinson's own career.

Robinson
said she will wrap up work in the governor's office over the next few weeks,
and expects to be sworn into the high court next month.